Molybdenum and tungsten oxide nanowires prepared by electrospinning

Tungsten oxide (WO(3)) and molybdenum oxide (MoO(3)) nanowires were synthesized through utilizing sol gel and electrospinning methods. Mixtures of metal oxide sol gel and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in ethanol solution were electrospun and resulted in metal oxide composite nanofiber mats. Precise annealing process removed all organic material, and pure metal oxide single crystal nanowires remained. Both the as-spun nanocomposite mats and the heat-treated nanofiborous materials were characterized using Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopes. The average diameter of the nanofibers was concluded to be proportional to the flow rate used and inversely proportional to the metal oxide concentration in the solution.